Traumatic
by Edward-Scissorhanded-Cullen
Summary: Bella really does get raped, but not by the guy in Port Angeles, no by some guy who sat next to her on the plane... She can't remember a thing about it except in the occasional flashbacks, but even then it's only snip its... How will this effect her?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: First flight

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt – sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry on item was a parka.

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and it's gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.

It was to Forks that I exiled myself – an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks.

I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city.

"Bella," my mom said to me – the last of a thousand times – before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still…

"I want to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will."

"I'll see you soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

"Don't worry about me," I urged "It'll be great. I love you, mom."

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks, flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, thought, I was a little worried about.

Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car.

But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us were what anyone would call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless. I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision – like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.

When I landed in Seattle, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen – just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun.

I was one of the first people out of the plane as I only had a few bags and they all fit nicely in the compartment above my seat. I made my way to the gate of my next flight and made it on the plane with incredible timing; I still had ten minutes until the plane left. I took my seat in coach and pulled out the emergency information packet, because we would totally have enough time to read this if the plane crashed and we were falling through the air. Next thing I know someone is taking the seat next to me. It was a guy with blonde hair that was gelled into orderly spikes, and sort of cute if I were to like older guys (he had to be in his late twenties).

"Hello." He greeted.

"Hi…" I replied awkwardly, I'd never been one for talking to strangers, and this guy was definitely strange…

"Where are you headed?" He asked.

"The same place you are, the Port Angeles airport." I said sarcastically. I really hope I don't lose my sarcasm while in Forks.

"Ooo, feisty, I like 'em feisty…" He said lowering his voice. Ok this guy is officially starting to creep me out. Maybe I can tell him I'm not interested, that I'm about 12 years younger than him, no that wouldn't work it would be better to just boot-leg it out of here. I bet I could hide in the bathroom for the first half of the flight and then hide in another bathroom until it's time to descend, yeah… that could work.

"Excuse me; I have to go to the bathroom." I told him, really forcing myself to be polite.

"Take your time baby." The pervert said.

'Oh trust me,' I thought to myself 'I will.' As I made my way to the bathroom I tripped on some ones feet, probably my own. I've never been able to go a day with out tripping at least once a day. I still had the feeling the pervert was watching me, so I sneaked a peak while I tried to stead myself and sure enough he was; I quickened my pace and made it to the bathroom without tripping again.

About ten minutes later there was a knocking at the door and a male voice asking me if I were alright.

"I'm fine." I assured him.

"I would prefer it if I could see for myself so I can be sure you're ok." He told me. Something about this seemed a bit odd but after a moment of mulling it over I couldn't really think of why I shouldn't, so I opened the door and regretted it instantly. I felt my head hit the wall behind me hard as the pervert guy threw himself into the bathroom

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't see you there." He taunted.

I was to dizzy to say anything at the moment so I just sat there kneading my head and trying to see straight. The next thing he tried to do was undo my pants, but this time I put up a fight and he retorted by putting a knife to my throat, don't they check for things like those?

"One word and I'll slit your throat." He threatened. I tried to push him off me again but he slammed my head on the wall again' then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Unforgettable Moment

I woke up in an unfamiliar, white room in an unfamiliar, uncomfortably lumpy bed with rails. It must be a hospital, I've been in enough hospitals to know when I'm in one, even when I don't know I am.

"Bella?" An urgent voice that was unmistakably my mothers called.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I came as soon as I heard, I'm so sorry…" She said in an alerted concerned tone.

"Sorry for what?" I asked trying to recall the last few moments before I lost consciousness.

"Honey, you don't remember?" She asked sounding a little confused.

"I remember getting on the plane to Port Angeles, but everything else is kind of a blur…" I told her truthfully, thought I had a feeling I didn't want to remember.

"Oh… Let's just wait for the doctor okay honey?" She said sounding more concerned and confused than before.

"Where am I?" I asked her. I had no idea if I was still in Seattle or if I made it to Port Angeles.

"You're at the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles." She informed me. "Charlie went to have a word with some people from the airline."

"Why?" I asked again.

"Let's just wait for the doctor 'kay?" She said hastily.

What could have been so bad that she won't tell me about it? It had to have been something to do with the plane ride here or Charlie wouldn't be talking to the airlines.

"Mom, the plane didn't crash, did it?" I asked slightly panicked.

"What? No, no, nothing like that." She said.

"Then why won't you tell me what happened?" I asked getting slightly irritated.

"Well… Because it's – oh there you are Dr. Stevens, Bella's finally up!" She said as a man in a lab coat and scrubs appeared.

"I see that!" He said cheerfully. "And how are feeling Bella?" He asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just wondering what happened and why I'm here." I told him hoping for some answers.

"You mean you don't remember?" He asked me.

"No, if I did would I be asking?" I retorted getting even more annoyed, why can't just answers a simple question…

"I suppose not, my apologies." He said sounding slightly amused. "It seems the trauma we've been fearing isn't relevant in your case. You'll be released soon than we thought." He told me.

"Okay, that's great, but I still want to know what happened." I told them.

"Well from what we've gathered from the situation the guy who was sitting next you followed you into the bathroom and raped you." Dr. Stevens explained to be scrutinizing my expression. Raped? I was raped? Why didn't I remember that? "You hit your head pretty hard and you've been unconscious for ten hours, a flight attendant found you and they saw him walking away looking pretty ruffled up sp they called security and they took him away. Really lucky if you ask me, sometimes they never catch the guy." He said.

"Yeah lucky…" I said distracted by the new information.

"So when can she come home?" My mom asked.

"She should be able to leave by tonight." Dr. Stevens told her.

"Do you hear that Bella? You'll be on a plane you Phoenix in no time!" My mom exclaimed.

"What do you mean? I still want to live in Forks mom…" I lied, I'd never wanted to live in Forks but I knew my mom wanted to be with Phil, not at home babying me over something I couldn't even remember.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you don't want to go to Forks…" She said confused again.

"I do want to go to Forks, and besides Ch-dad already registered me in school and I don't want to let all that work they did be for nothing." I lied some more hoping to convince her.

"I don't believe you…" She said looking suspiciously at me.

"Well believe me because it's true…" I told her. I'll try all day if I have to in order to convince her, it's not like I'll be doing anything else.

She squinted her eyes trying to see past my hopefully solid mask. "Fine…" She said finally giving in after a moment of thought. "But remember you can come home anytime you want and I'm only a call away." She promised.

"I will, I promise." I reassured her.

"Well Dr. Stevens, where can I check her out?" She asked turning toward the doctor I forgot was there.

"Right this way…" He said gesturing toward the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing… Especially anything from Midnight Sun or Twilight… Sometimes I wonder if I even own myself anymore… IDK I tend to do things without my permission… :\

The hour long car ride home with Charlie was more awkward than I'd ever thought possible. Neither one of us knew what to say, it's like he thought if he said the wrong thing he would break me or something. It made me feel like I belong in a wooden crate with a big red stamp saying 'Fragile' on it.

"Sooo…" I said deciding to make the first move.

"Listen Bell," he interrupted, "if you want to go back to Phoenix, you can, you don't have to come here for my sake." He told me.

"No, I want to come live with you." I assured him.

"It's not that I don't want you t live with me, it's just that, under the… Circumstances, maybe you should go live with you mom…" He said.

"I don't really see the point, I mean; I don't even remember anything about what happened, so there's no reason for more plane rides." I told him.

He thought about it for a minute or two and finally said "Are you sure it's not just the plane ride your worried about? Because I'm sure you could drive, it might take longer but-"

"No! Dad I told you I don't remember a thing! I just remember getting on the plane, no more, no less. I promise, I'm fine, I want to live in Forks." I assured him again. I really hope he doesn't bring up the subject again, this is getting annoying…

He seemed a little happier when he said, "well good, I'm glad." But then the smile faded as he said "but you still need to see the therapist…" He looked at me from the corner of his eye, judging my reaction.

"What?" I exclaimed, "Why? I'm not in shock! I don't even remember anything!"

"Well, I know that honey, but sometimes people remember things and-"

"And so your going to shrink my head?" I exclaimed. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"I bought you a car. Well it's a truck really, but still…" He said suddenly. "You don't mind a truck do you? It's a Chevy…" He asked me.

"No, I don't mind, but I thought I was going to buy it…" I said.

"It's a homecoming gift. It's in pretty good condition, but it's kind of old. You remember Billy from down at La Push right?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

"No."

(A/N This is where I just copy and pasted from a website with the Twilight book on it and the way it's formatted is messed up… Sorry but you'll see when I start writing again because the format goes back to normal and I write my own stuff.)

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.  
>That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful,<br>unnecessary things from my memory.  
>"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive<br>anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."  
>"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question<br>he was hoping I wouldn't ask "Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine - it's only a few years old, really."  
>I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily. "When<br>did he buy it?"  
>"He bought it in 1984, I think."<br>"Did he buy it new?"  
>"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties - or late fifties at the earliest," he<br>admitted sheepishly.  
>"Ch - Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if<br>anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic..."  
>"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."<br>The thing, I thought to myself... it had possibilities - as a nickname, at the very least.  
>"How cheap is cheap?" After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.<br>"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie  
>peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression.<br>Wow. Free.  
>"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."<br>"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited  
>that from him. So I was looking straight ahead as I responded.<br>"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to add that my being  
>happy in Forks is an impossibility. He didn't need to suffer along with me. And I never<br>looked a free truck in the mouth - or engine.  
>"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by my thanks.<br>We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was  
>pretty much it for Conversation. We stared out the windows in silence.<br>It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their  
>trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered<br>with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.  
>It was too green - an alien planet.<br>Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that  
>he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind<br>of days their marriage had - the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the  
>house that never changed, was my new - well, new to me - truck. It was a faded red<br>color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid  
>iron affairs that never gets damaged - the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint<br>unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.  
>"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Now my horrific day tomorrow would be just that much<br>less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.  
>"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.<br>It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out  
>over the front yard. The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born.<br>The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains  
>around the window - these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Charlie<br>had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The desk  
>now held a secondhand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the<br>floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could  
>stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner.<br>There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share  
>with Charlie. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact. One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and<br>get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. It was nice  
>to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the<br>window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wasn't in the mood to go on  
>a real crying jag. I would save that for bedtime, when I would have to think about the<br>coming morning.  
>Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven - now<br>fifty-eight - students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class  
>alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together - their grandparents had<br>been toddlers together.  
>I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak.<br>Maybe, if I looked like a girl from Phoenix should, I could work this to my advantage.  
>But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, sporty, blond - a volleyball<br>player, or a cheerleader, perhaps - all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.  
>Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite<br>the constant sunshine. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; I didn't have the necessary hand-eye coordination to play sports without  
>humiliating myself - and harming both myself and anyone else who stood too close.<br>When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom  
>necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel.<br>I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp hair. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked sallower, unhealthy. My skin could be pretty - it was very clear, almost translucent-looking - but it all depended on color. I had no color here.  
>Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to<br>myself. It wasn't just physically that I'd never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a  
>school with three thousand people, what were my chances here?<br>I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to  
>people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was<br>never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I  
>was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through<br>theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered  
>was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning.<br>I didn't sleep well that night, even after I was done crying. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. I pulled the faded  
>old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until<br>after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle.  
>Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I could feel the<br>claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage.  
>Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked<br>him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Charlie left first, off  
>to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak<br>table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark  
>paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing was changed.<br>My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some  
>sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized<br>family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in  
>Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful<br>nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to last year's. Those were  
>embarrassing to look at - I would have to see what I could do to get Charlie to put them<br>somewhere else, at least while I was living here. It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over  
>my mom. It made me uncomfortable.<br>I didn't want to be too early to school, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I  
>donned my jacket - which had the feel of a biohazard suit - and headed out into the<br>rain.  
>It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for<br>the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The  
>sloshing of my new waterproof boots was unnerving. I missed the normal crunch of<br>gravel as I walked. I couldn't pause and admire my truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under  
>my hood.<br>Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up,  
>but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint.<br>The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected.  
>Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made me stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? I wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?<br>I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front  
>office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would<br>get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. I stepped  
>unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark<br>hedges. I took a deep breath before opening the door.  
>Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little<br>waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and  
>awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large<br>plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a  
>long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped<br>to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a  
>large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a green t-shirt, which<br>immediately made me feel overdressed.  
>The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"<br>"I'm Isabella Swan," I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. I  
>was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come<br>home at last. Probably wondering about why I was here a couple days late

"Of Coarse you are! Here at last!" She said, but the thing she said next surprised me to no end, she lowered her voice down to a whisper so no one could hear us even though we were the only ones in the small office. "Listen honey, I heard about what happened to you on the plane, and I want you to know, I'm here if you need to talk… Anytime you need to talk just come down and talk."

"You heard? How?" I asked, if she knew no doubt the whole town did, this could not get anymore embarrassing…

"Your dad is required to tell the school about things like this, you know incase you freak out or anything we know what to do…" She explained.

"Oh… Umm, can I ask who else knows about, umm, what happened?" I just wanted to be prepared for anything.

"All your teachers, but don't worry, they won't say anything in front of the class without your permission…" She said.

"Oh… Joy…" I said with a nervous laugh.

"Ok well here's you schedule and a map." She went over all the best routes to take to get to my classes, "Take this sheet, get it signed by all your teachers, and come back at the end of the day and give it to me ok?"

"Ok, thank you…" I said as I walked out of the room and started heading to my next class.

(A/N Ok sorry but I'm copy and pasting again! K but I'm too lazy to write it all out… Not to mention how much time that would take… If you want to just skip to the part where Edward and the other Cullens come in at just keep going till you see a very subtle authors note… lolz)

When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around  
>the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older<br>like mine, nothing flashy. At home I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing  
>to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny<br>Volvo, and it stood out. Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the  
>thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to me.<br>I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I wouldn't have  
>to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my bag,<br>slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. I can do this, I lied to  
>myself feebly. No one was going to bite me. I finally exhaled and stepped out of the<br>truck.  
>I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with<br>teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief.  
>Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was<br>painted on a white square on the east corner. I felt my breathing gradually creeping  
>toward hyperventilation as I approached the door. I tried holding my breath as I followed<br>two unisex raincoats through the door.  
>The classroom was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to<br>hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a  
>porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least my skin<br>wouldn't be a standout here.  
>I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate<br>identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at me when he saw my name - not an  
>encouraging response - and of course I flushed tomato red. But at least he sent me to an<br>empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. It was harder for my new  
>classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down<br>on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting... and boring. I  
>wondered if my mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would think that<br>was cheating. I went through different arguments with her in my head while the teacher  
>droned on.<br>When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with skin problems and hair  
>black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to me.<br>"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.  
>"Bella," I corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me.<br>"Where's your next class?" he asked.  
>I had to check in my bag." Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six."<br>There was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes.  
>"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way..."Definitely over-helpful.<br>"I'm Eric," he added.  
>I smiled tentatively. "Thanks."<br>We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I could have  
>sworn several people behind us were walking close enough to eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't<br>getting paranoid.  
>"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" he asked.<br>"Very."  
>"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"<br>"Three or four times a year."  
>"Wow, what must that be like?" he wondered.<br>"Sunny," I told him.  
>"You don't look very tan."<br>"My mother is part albino."  
>He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of<br>humor didn't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm.  
>We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked<br>me right to the door, though it was clearly marked.  
>"Well, good luck," he said as I touched the handle. "Maybe we'll have some other<br>classes together." He sounded hopeful.  
>I smiled at him vaguely and went inside. The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trigonometry teacher,<br>Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the  
>only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered,<br>blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat.  
>After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was<br>always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me  
>questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic, but mostly I just lied a<br>lot. At least I never needed the map.  
>One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the<br>cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but  
>her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't<br>remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I  
>didn't try to keep up.<p>

(A/N LUNCH ALERT! LUNCH ALERT! EDWARD ALERT! THINGS START TO CHANGE HERE! POSSIBLE EDWARD POV! Subtle no?)

We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I  
>forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery<br>in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me from across the room.  
>It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious<br>strangers, that I first saw them.  
>They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible<br>in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating,  
>though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at<br>me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of  
>meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that<br>caught, and held, my attention.  
>They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big - muscled like a<br>serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular,  
>and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was<br>more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers  
>here rather than students.<br>The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the  
>kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made<br>every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her  
>hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie-like,<br>thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and  
>pointing in every direction.<br>And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of  
>all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very<br>dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes -

Purpl-ish, bruise-like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or  
>almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were<br>straight, perfect, angular.  
>But all this is not why I couldn't look away.<br>I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly  
>beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed<br>pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was  
>hard to decide who was the most beautiful - maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze-<br>haired boy.  
>They were all looking away - away from each other, away from the other students,<br>away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. As I watched, the small girl rose  
>with her tray - unopened soda, unbitten apple - and walked away with a quick,<br>graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought  
>possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.<br>"Who are they ?" I asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten.  
>As she looked up to see who I meant - though already knowing, probably, from my<br>tone - suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest, perhaps.  
>He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered<br>to mine.  
>He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment<br>I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest  
>- it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response,<br>already having decided not to answer.  
>My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table like I did.<br>"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was

Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her  
>breath.<br>I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a  
>bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect<br>lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking  
>quietly to them.<br>Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had. But maybe  
>that was in vogue here - small town names? I finally remembered that my neighbor was<br>called Jessica, a perfectly common name. There were two girls named Jessica in my  
>History class back home.<br>"They are... very nice-looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement.  
>"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though - Emmett and<br>Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Her voice held all the

shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being  
>honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.<br>"Which ones are the Cullens?" I asked. "They don't look related..."  
>"Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all<br>adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins - the blondes - and they're foster  
>children."<br>"They look a little old for foster children."  
>"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen<br>since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."  
>"That's really kind of nice - for them to take care of all those kids like that, when<br>they're so young and everything."  
>"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like<br>the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their  
>adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I<p>

think that Mrs. Cullen can't  
>have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.<br>Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where  
>the strange family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.<br>"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one  
>of my summers here.<br>"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like  
>me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."<br>I felt a surge of pity, and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were  
>outsiders, clearly not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only newcomer here, and certainly<br>not the most interesting by any standard.  
>As I examined them, the youngest, one of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this<br>time with evident curiosity in his expression. As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me

that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.  
>"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I asked. I peeked at him from the<br>corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other students  
>had today - he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.<br>"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date.  
>Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear<br>case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down.  
>I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away,<br>but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too.  
>After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were<br>noticeably graceful - even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. The one  
>named Edward didn't look at me again.<br>I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting

alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new  
>acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela, had Biology II<br>with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy, too.  
>When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly<br>like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled  
>but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting<br>next to that single open seat.  
>As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I<br>was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He  
>stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face - it was<br>hostile, furious. I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. I stumbled over a book  
>in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there<p>

giggled.  
>I'd noticed that his eyes were black - coal black.<br>Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about  
>introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to<br>send me to the one open seat in the middle of the room. I kept my eyes down as I went to  
>sit by him, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me.<br>I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture  
>change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme<br>edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I  
>sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed<br>an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain  
>between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.<br>Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took  
>notes carefully anyway, always looking down.<p>

I couldn't stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the  
>strange boy next to me. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the<br>edge of his chair, sitting as far from me as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg  
>was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never<br>relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his  
>forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as<br>slight as he'd looked next to his burly brother.  
>The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally<br>coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did; he  
>continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing. What was wrong with him?<br>Was this his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch  
>today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.<br>It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Eve.  
>I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again,<br>his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair,  
>the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind.<br>At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of  
>his seat. Fluidly he rose - he was much taller than I'd thought - his back to me, and he<br>was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.  
>I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was so mean. It wasn't fair. I began<br>gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the anger that filled me, for fear my eyes  
>would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually<br>cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.

(A/N Sorry these might be getting annoying but I feel the need to explain what I'm about to do so people don't get confused… I'm going to switch to EPOV (Edward's Point Of View) for the whole Biology thing (which involves me copy and pasting things from Midnight Sun) but don't worry I'll add some stuff so I recommend reading all of it so you don't miss it. Then I'm going to switch back to BPOV but I'm going to pick up where I left off (the part where Mike meets Bella for the first time and she has a totally mental reaction!) so again sorry for the A/N)

**EPOV**

I headed off for my junior level biology class, preparing my mind for the tedium. It was doubtful Mr. Banner, a man of no more than average intellect, would manage to pull out anything in his lecture that would surprise someone holding two degrees in medicine.

In the classroom, I settled into my chair and let my books – props, again: they held nothing I didn't already know – spill across the table. I was the only student who had a table to himself. The humans weren't smart enough to _know_ that they feared me, but their survival instincts were enough to keep them away.

The room slowly filled as they trickled in from lunch. I leaned back in my chair and waited for the time to pass. Again, I wished I was able to sleep.

Because I'd been thinking about her, when Angela Weber escorted the new girl through the door, her name intruded on my attention.

_Bella seems just as shy as me. Ill bet today is really hard for her. I wish I could say something… But it would probably just sound stupid…_

_ Yes! _Mike Newton thought, turning in his seat to watch the girls enter.

Still, from the place where Bella Swan stood, nothing. The empty space where her thoughts should be, irritated and unnerved me.

She came closer, walking down the aisle beside me to get to the teacher's desk. Poor girl; the seat next to me was the only one available. Automatically, I cleared what would be her side of the desk, shoving my books into a pile. I doubted she would feel very comfortable there. She was in for a long semester – in this class, at least. Perhaps, though, sitting beside her, I'd be able to flush out her secrets… not that I'd ever needed close proximity before… not that I would find anything worth listening to…

Though right as I thought this, Mr. Banner's thoughts caught my attention. _Poor girl… Didn't know two days ago she would be raped by some random stranger on the plane… I just hope she doesn't see the resemblance between the guy who raped her and Mike Newton. I was shocked to see a picture of someone who looked like Mike on the news. Of course they didn't mention Isabella by name, but Chief Swan told us it was him. Says she doesn't even remember a thing, that's why she's going to therapy, to remember, though why they would want her to remember, I have no clue…_

So she was raped? That's why she was two days late! I hope the scum bag who raped her burns in hell after a life in prison, sharing a cell with some giant body builder named Slasher or something like that. This reminds me of the time when I rebelled against Carlisle's style of living, when I would wait for people like him to be my next meal. This time was different though, this time I didn't just want him for a meal, I wanted him to pay, and pay big time! I can't explain why I'm feeling this way over a stupid human girl, she was nothing, she meant nothing to me… But if that were true then why am I still feeling protective over her? I've never been this confused in my entire existence. As she started to walk towards my – Our, desk, she walked right past a fan blowing right at me. Her scent hit me like a wrecking ball, like a battering ram. There was no image violent enough to encapsulate the force of what happened to me in that moment.

In that instant, I was nothing close to the human I'd once been; no trace of the shreds of humanity I'd managed to cloak myself in remained

I was a predator. She was my prey. There was nothing else in the whole world but that truth.

There was no room full of witnesses – they were already collateral damage in my head. The mystery of her thoughts was forgotten. Her thoughts meant nothing, for she would not go on thinking them much longer.

I was a vampire, and she had the sweetest blood I'd smelled in eighty years.

I hadn't imagined such a scent could exist. If I'd known it did, I would have gone searching for it long ago. I would have combed the planet for her. I could imagine the taste…

Thirst burned through my throat like fire. My mouth was baked and desiccated. The fresh flow of venom did nothing to dispel that sensation. My stomach twisted with the hunger that was an echo of the thirst. My muscles coiled to spring.

Not a full second had passed. She was still taking the same step that had put her downwind from me.

As her foot touched the ground, her eyes slid toward me, a movement she clearly meant to be stealthy. Her glance met mine, and I saw myself reflected in the wide mirror of her eyes.

The shock of the face I saw there saved her life for a few thorny moments.

It made me able to process some of my thoughts for about a millisecond, long enough for me to comprehend that I needed to get out of there, and fast.

"Mr. Banner?" I said raising my hand.

"Yes Edward? What is it?" He said politely though his thoughts were rather rude: _What is it now? Not happy with the new seating arrangement? Going to ask Daddy if he can do something about it… Maybe bribe the principle…_

"May I be excused from class? I'm not feeling very well…" And that was that for my air supply, I really hope I don't need to explain further or everyone in this room is dead…

"I'll write you a pass to the office…" He said; his thoughts however were not as calm: _YES! I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM TODAY!_ That was nice of him, I thought sarcastically. But luckily he was so overjoyed that I was leaving he didn't have me explain further. As he wrote me the pass I gathered up all my belongings, trying extremely hard not to look at the girl, afraid that if I did I would be to tempted to try to lure her out of the room with me.

I took the pass out of his hand, careful not to touch his skin, and walked out of the room. I'll go down to the nurse's office and lie down until next period. Scratch that. I'll go listen to music in my car… If I went to the nurse she'd probably take my temperature… I start heading for my car and imagine what would happen. I stayed like that until I heard Alice's thoughts intrude my mind.

_Edward! What happened? I saw so many things at once! Finally you decided to skip class; I thought I was going to have to-_

I interrupted her there, "Shut up Alice…" I knew she would hear me, I could hear her footsteps.

"Someone's in a mood…" She said while getting in my car.

"I wanted to be alone Alice…" I said through my teeth.

"Oh I know… I saw you going back inside though…" She said replaying the vision in her mind for me.

"I such a coward… Look at me, hiding in my car, over what? A stupid _human girl_…" I said scolding myself.

"Trust me it was the best choice… Your "cowardness" just saved an entire classroom full of innocent kids…" She said trying to comfort me. I started to think about what I should do, what Carlisle would do. "Maybe you could change you schedule…" She said while checking the future. "Mmm… Nope, everywhere else is full… Maybe you could change seats…" She tried again. "Hmmm, I don't know Mr. Banner would have to make the decision." I groaned, there was no way he was going to let me change seats, I thought remembering his mental diss to me:' _Not happy with the new seating arrangement? Going to ask Daddy if he can do something about it… Maybe bribe the principle…' _Before I had even registered making any kind of decision Alice said "You're leaving us aren't you?" frowning. I nodded. It was the logical thing to do right?


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't even have the chance to say hello to the infamous Edward Cullen before he shot his hand up and asked to be dismissed. He didn't leave because of me did he? I didn't do anything, I don't think. Maybe he thought I was some stalker chick because he saw me gawking at him durring lunch. He's going to have to come to class eventually, and when he does I'll confront him on it. Maybe. Probably not.

I was having trouble paying attention in class, my mind replaying the scene that had just occured, so I nearly jumped when a male voice asked me "Aren't you Isabella Swan?"

"Bella," I corrected automatically without looking up so I could gather my things.

"I'm Mike." He introduced himself happily. I looked up, he looked familiar, where had I seen him before? I don't think I've known a Mike... Realization hit like a ton of bricks, and the bricks came with a flashback of the plane ride.

*Flashback*

I was one of the first people out of the plane as I only had a few bags and they all fit nicely in the compartment above my seat. I made my way to the gate of my next flight and made it on the plane with incredible timing; I still had ten minutes until the plane left. I took my seat in coach and pulled out the emergency information packet, because we would totally have enough time to read this if the plane crashed and we were falling through the air. Next thing I know someone is taking the seat next to me. It was a guy with blonde hair that was gelled into orderly spikes, and sort of cute if I were to like older guys (he had to be in his late twenties).

"Hello." He greeted.

"Hi..." I replied awkwardly, I'd never been one for talking to strangers, and this guy was definitely strange...

"Where are you headed?" He asked.

"The same place you are, the Port Angeles airport." I said sarcastically. I really hope I don't lose my sarcasm while in Forks.

"Ooo, feisty, I like 'em feisty..." He said lowering his voice. Ok this guy is officially starting to creep me out. Maybe I can tell him I'm not interested, that I'm about 12 years younger than him, no that wouldn't work it would be better to just boot-leg it out of here. I bet I could hide in the bathroom for the first half of the flight and then hide in another bathroom until it's time to descend, yeah... that could work.

"Excuse me; I have to go to the bathroom." I told him, really forcing myself to be polite.

"Take your time baby." The pervert said.

*End of Flashback*

I started to panic, knowing instantly that that was who had raped me. It might be that this Mike guy was just the perverts unlucky doppleganger, but I wasn't going to stick around for that. "I have to get to class." I said hastily.

"What's your next class?" He asked, a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Gym." I said, increasing my pace.

He kept up easily. "Me too! I'll walk you there!" He said cheerfully making me stop dead in my tracks; he looked at me curiously.

"I, uh, forgot something... I'll catch up..." I said turning on my heel to head back towards building 2, leaving a confused looking Mike. My heart was still pounding when I ran into what felt like a wall, I hadn't been looking where I was walking, but when I looked up I saw it was the beautiful Rosalie Cullen.

"Watch it!" She snapped, looking down at me, as I had fell down when she knocked into me, well I knocked myself over really.

"Sorry." I mumbled instantly, my heart still pounding irratically from Mike. Rosalie's look softened at me. DId I look that panicked?

"No, I'm sorry, should have been watching where I was going." She surprised me by saying, before she walked away. Knowing I couldn't just skip gym all together, I headed toward my class, hoping I wouldn't have to talk to HIM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EPOV

I thought it would be safe to head to my next class, as everyone should be in theirs by now. But I suddenly heard a rapidly beating heart that no one with my hear could mistake for anything but panic. I looked up from the sidewalk to find the Swan girl walking briskly towards the gym, she was probably worried about being late for class on her first day. But she seemed too panicked for her to be worried about an inconsequential thing like being late to class.

Curious, I followed her to the gym. I stopped when I got to the gym doors and listened to the other human minds, seeing if they knew anything about why Bella was so panicked, only one mind caught my attention. 'There's Bella. I wondering if I should go talk to her... She was acting a little weird when I introduced myself, like she'd seen a ghost! Yeah, I'll talk to her when she changes into her uniform...' Mike's thoughts had told me all I needed to know, she had seen the resemblence between Mike and the rapist. I couldn't just let her sit through an entire class period with him. That would be cruel. I may be a monster, but even I think that's a bit harsh...

I walked inside trying not to cause a scene and failing miserably. As soon as the door opened it was like a purple unicorn with rainbows sprouting out of it's ears walked throught the door. "Ms. Swan is need in the office." I told Coach Clapp from across the gym. He nodded, dismissing the girl from class.

"Why am I needed in the office?" She asked as soon as we were outside. "You're not." I told her. "Then why am I skipping class?" She asked, an edge to her voice. "Are you complaining?" I asked skeptically. "No... I guess not..." She said, thoughtfully. "I thought not.

"Where are we going?" She asked a couple seconds later. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" I asked with a smirk, trying to buy myself sometime. I had no idea hwere we were going, I couldn't very well sit in a room alone with her, and I couldn't just walk around with her. "You answer a lot of questions WITH questions, don't you?" She asked with a smirk of her own, no longer panicked, but still cautious.

"So are you going to tell me where we are going?" She urged, so I did the only thing I thoguth I could do.

A/N: Hey guys! I finally got a new computer! :D I hope this was ok... To be honest I have no idea where Bella and Edward are going in the next chapter... For all I know they could end up walking around in the forest, but I get the feeling that, that won't be interesting and that Bella wouldn't going into the forest with a complete stranger... So leave me some ideas in the comments! Till next week! :) 


	5. Chapter 5

BPOV

Edward Cullen had taken me out of class saying the office wanted me… They didn't and then he wouldn't tell me where we were going. "So, are you going to tell me where we are going?" I urged getting impatient with his mind games; did _he _even know where we were going?

"I'm going to get Ms. Cope to officially excuse you from class; then my sister, Alice, my brother, Jasper - whom, I'm sure you've heard by now, is Alice's boyfriend- and I will be going to a café in Port Angeles, you can come along if you'd like." He offered as we got to the office building. I had no idea what to say… I didn't even know this guy, I only know what Jessica had told me during lunch, and if what she said was true, then he should be ignoring me like everyone else.

"Ummm… Can I think about it?" I asked, not knowing if I should except or not. I mean, yeah, he was very intriguing, and I was extremely curious by his weird behavior since biology, I would have sworn he left because of me - egotistical, I know, but now he was being a total gentlemen.

"Sure…" He said oddly, "I'll go excuse you from class." He said walking into the office building. I had my answer and let him go in, trying not to imagine how seductive he was probably being to Ms. Cope right now.

EPOV

The girl seemed unsure as to whether or not to go with the guy who stormed out of her biology class not more than fifteen minutes ago. I can't say I blame her, to her it probably seemed like I left because of her, which I did - but only to keep her safe, she probably thought I hated her or something. I knew Alice had seen my decision, so she should be over here to convince the girl to come - I couldn't very well just let her wonder about on her own now could I? From what I had seen through other people's minds, she was a complete and total klutz. "Ms. Cope," I said greeting her and letting her knew I was there.

Her heart rate speed up and her thoughts turned not so P.G. "Yes Edward, what can I do for you?" she asked, though her thoughts portrayed the true meaning behind her words.

"Isabella Swan isn't feeling very well and I was wondering if you would excuse her from gym and allow me to drive her home" I asked with a polite tone a semi-seductive stance. The semi-seductive stance was just for my amusement, it wasn't completely necessary and I regretted it instantly when her thoughts went from, 'Too young, too young!' to rated R for revolting in 0.5 seconds.

"Of course Edward…" She said fluttering her eyelashes. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" 'Too young, too young!'

"No, thank you…" I replied, thoroughly repulsed. I went outside and found Bella sitting on one of the few dry benches, waiting for me. "So are you coming with?" I asked as she got up. I could hear Alice and Jasper coming. Jasper! I'd forgotten about how she would smell to Jasper. He couldn't come with… I started to plan ways to get rid of him but before I could settle on a plan Alice thought 'Edward, he'll be fine! Just have Bella follow behind in her truck while we lead her to the café, we'll have to get an outside table, so she'll need a jacket…' I saw in her vision that it would work; it would ensure that Jasper wouldn't be in direct contact with Bella's scent, by not letting him in the same car as her, and her scent would be dissolved by the fresh air outside. Rosalie and Emmett could run home, though there will be hell to pay from Rose later…

"Yeah, I'll go…" Bella said after a moment of hesitation.

"You'll need a jacket; we will be dining outside…" I told her.

"My jacket is in my gym locker…" She said, remorseful.

"You can wear mine." I offered, understanding why she couldn't go back inside.

"But then you'll be cold." She argued, she was remarkably unselfish for a teenager… I think she was starting to mentally prepare herself to go and get her jacket, I wasn't going to let her do that… Even _I_ wouldn't want to risk dealing with Mike Newton… Even under normal circumstances.

"Don't be ridiculous…" I said while slipping off my jacket. "I never get cold…" I could hear Alice and Jasper laugh at the joke while I helped her into my jacket.

"Ummm… Thanks…" She said awkwardly, as if she wasn't used to being treated like a lady. I doubted that, every male at school had been thinking about her today, wondering how they should approach her, what topics to talk about, and others of the sort. Many only like her because she was a new face. Others thought she was genuinely pretty, thought as I looked at her then, I could see how she might even be considered beautiful. She had long brown; wavy hair that was halfway down her back, her bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top, and her eyes were an amazing chocolate brown that I couldn't help but get lost in.

"Alice and Jasper should be here soon. Do you mind if I drive your truck? It might be easier than having you follow behind us and this way you won't have to leave it here…" I asked, I didn't want to tempt the monster inside me that thirsted for her blood, but I also didn't want to be without her presence for too long, it seemed like the more I inhaled her scent, the easier it was to resist.

"I don't mind… I'm not sure how good the gas mileage is thought, and it can't go over 40 miles per hour…" She warned me politely. I could see Alice and Jasper in the distance walking at a human speed; they were too far for human eyes, so I decided to make some small talk.

"How was your first day?" I decided that was a good place to start, nice and safe.

"Not bad… Everybody seems pretty nice…" She said eyeing me skeptically. She's probably wondering if I could be trusted. How frustrating that I can't read her mind! Even now, when I know what voice to listen for and in this close proximity – not that I've ever had to rely on distance before…

"That's good…" I said, not letting my frustration show. "There's Alice and Jasper." I said waving them over.

Alice bounced over excitedly. "Hi! I'm Alice and this is Jasper! You must be Bella!" Jasper just nodded curtly, already warned by Alice about Bella's scent.

"Nice to meet you…" She said shyly.

"Alice, you and Jasper can take the Volvo, I'll drive Bella there in her truck." I told them thought they already knew.

"Alright! Let's go Jazz…" Alice said, pulling Jasper by the arm, Bella chuckled.

"You ready?" I asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" She said toward her truck.

I opened the passenger door for her, making it there before her. "Then let's go…" I was determined to treat her like a lady as much as possible.

(A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, but this will be my last update for a while… I got grounded and my sister is only letting me use her computer once… Sorry! But I'll keep writing while I'm away so you'll have lots to read when I get back… Which will be in a month… :'( I'll miss you guys! Bye!)


	6. Chapter 6

The car ride to Port Angeles was quiet. He had the windows open half way, even though it was freezing outside. His jacket was extreamly warm, but he wasn't wearing it so how was he not freezing to death?

"It's a good thing I know where I'm going, or we'd never be able to get there... There's no way I'd be able to follow Alice the way she drives..."

"Maybe next time you should take your own car and let me stay in class..." I mumbled under my breath.

"Is that really what you wanted to do? Sit through a boring gym lesson, trying not to trip over your own feet, and being hounded-on by Mike Newton?" he asked.

It was a rhetorical question, but I couldn't help but answer with "yes! That's exactly what I wanted to do, and FYI, I think Mike Newton is a catch." Where the hell did that come from?

"Should I go back then?" he asked. He said it oddly, a mix between soft and gentle and angry or annoyed.

"No!" I said too quickly. Dang it!

He grinned confidently, "didn't think so..." We settled into more silence before he spoke up again, "you should get a new stereo..."

"I should make you stop the car, get out, and walk," I said mimicking his tone.

He was taken aback for a moment before he asked, "are you serious?"

I wasn't at first, but now I just want to see if he would do it... "Yes," I said strongly. I used to be a bad liar, but after the... incident... I got pretty good at lying to people - especially psychiatrists...

He looked at me, seriously shocked that I said yes, but pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road and got out. I really wasn't going to make him walk, but he was in the forest before I could even comprehend what he was doing. I got out and ran to the forest. Way to go Bella! Now how are you going to get back? "Edward?" I called out. Maybe he hadn't gotten that far, I mean, sure, he's fast but is he that fast?

"Edward?" I called, a little more panicked. "Come on Edward! This isn't funny, I don't know how to get back!" I yelled. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move.

I was just filling my lungs with air so I could scream bloody murder when a hand crept around my mouth to stop me. "Bella, calm down, it's just me." He let me go and I flung out my arm to hit him but he was faster and dodged it easily, with a smile. "You didn't honestly believe I'd leave you out here, did you?"

"Jerk."

"I'm sorry. I was just messing around... It looked like you could use some fun in your life..."

I was still PO-ed beyond belief. I crossed my arms and waited for a better apology.

"I was right..." was all he said. 'I was right'? I jaw dropped. Did he really just say that? I stomped off to my truck, highly offended.

(A/N:I'd say I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but you wouldn't have believed me, even if I'd had a perfectly good excuse... Which I don't... But, don't worry, I already have the next chapter written out. I just need some motivation - and reminders - to post it. So spam up my email people! Thanks for reading!)


	7. Chapter 7

BPOV

The rest of the drive was short and quiet. Sometimes I couldn't restrain myself from putting my hand in front of my nose for a little bit so I could smell his sleeve. I can't even describe how good it smelled; it was like eating chocolate through my nose. Edward looked to be in deep thought and I had to bite my tongue a couple of times to keep myself from asking what was on his mind. When we finally made it to the café I saw Alice and Jasper sitting at a table in front; it had one of those giant umbrellas covering it from any sunlight, not that there ever was sunlight.

Alice jumped up the moment she saw us and waved excitedly; I saw Edward roll his eyes. "Is she always this happy?" I asked.

He sighed at his sister's excitement, "only when there's air to breathe. Possibly even when there's not."

I chuckled and he grinned, it was breath taking. His teeth were pearly white, perfectly straight, his laugh-lines had mini laugh-lines creating a sort of ripple effect, and his whole face seemed to glow. It was dazzling and I found myself frozen in place, staring at his now empty seat. Confused I looked around and found him coming around the stretched out hood of my truck, I got out and started towards the table where Alice and Jasper were seated. Edward followed but looked disappointed for some reason, he had some major mood swings...

"'Bout time," Alice greeted. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost!"

"No, Bella's truck just goes excruciatingly slow," Edward fake whined.

"Don't mock my truck, you're the one who wanted to drive with me. You could have just given me directions or let me actually go home," I pointed out, though I wasn't truly complaining. I would rather be here than sitting in my room thinking about what happened in gym.

"What, and risk losing the new kid on her first day? I don't think so." Edward said. Alice went inside to order, even though she didn't ask us what we wanted. We just sort of stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds. Edward was the first to move by pulling out a chair and gesturing for me to sit. That was cute and gentlemanly, but it also confused me because boys of this generation never do that.

Alice came back out with a server carrying a stack of napkins, four coffees, and four muffins. "I forgot to ask what you wanted, Bella, so I just guessed." Edward rolled his eyes again.

I didn't usually drink coffee because of the caffeine, but I didn't want to seem rude. "No, that's great, thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't be silly, Bella," Edward said. "I wouldn't invite a lady somewhere and make them pay. Especially when it was so sudden." He was either raised by parents who believed in chivalry, or...no, that's all I can think of that makes sense. I didn't understand why these people were being so nice to me.

"Oh, well thanks then." I blushed.

We ate and talked and joked and I had a really great time. I felt normal for once. Like my company was wanted. They didn't give me pity glances or look at me like I was stupid when I didn't understand something. Edward let me wear his jacket the whole time we were together and refused to take it back when I offered; he didn't even seem chilled, though I know it had to have been forty degrees out. Alice and Jasper were great, but Jasper didn't really say much and none of them seemed to eat; they just played with their food. Edward drove my truck on the way back.

"Thanks for inviting me today," I said after a few minutes of contented silence.

"No problem, I enjoyed it; it was fun." He had the window open again and I was still wearing his jacket. I didn't really know where this left us, were we friends? Was he just being friendly like everyone else here? I wasn't really great with the whole friends thing as I hadn't had very many in Phoenix. How do I know if we are friends?

The ride home seemed faster than the ride to the café and before I knew it we were in front of my house.

"Well, bye," I said awkwardly.

"Bye." He got out of the truck and as I grabbed my bag from the bak seat he opened my door for me. Again with the chivalry.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked.

"I don't know." He seemed to be thinking hard about something.

"Ok." Awkward silence.

He turned and started walking away. Wait, was he planning on walking home?

"Wait! Where are you going?" He stopped and turned.

"Home," he said quizzically.

"Do you want a ride?" He shook his head.

"I need to clear my head," he said.

"Oh," I said stupidly.

He pursed his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." He waved and left.


End file.
